stepbairn en · NOUN
Etymology
From Middle English stepbarn (“orphan”), from Old English stēopbearn (“orphan”), from Proto-West Germanic *steupabarn, from Proto-Germanic *steupabarną (“stepchild”), equivalent to step- + bairn. Cognate with Old High German stiofbarn (“stepchild”), Norwegian stebarn (“stepchild”) Danish stedbarn (“stepchild”), Swedish styvbarn (“stepchild”), Icelandic stjúpbarn (“stepchild”).
Meanings
- (Scotland, UK, dialectal, qualifier:otherwise obsolete) A stepchild.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| stepbairns | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| stepbarn | Northern-England, alternative | lexicographic |